President Donald Trump moves to keep TikTok running in the U.S. despite Biden-era legislation demanding ByteDance sell its American assets or face a nationwide ban.
President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a fresh executive order declaring a path forward for TikTok’s continued operation in the United States, ending months of uncertainty over the wildly popular Chinese-owned platform.
Last year, former President Joe Biden had signed legislation forcing ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to sell its American assets to a U.S. firm by early 2025—or face a full nationwide ban.
But Trump, breaking from Biden’s hardline stance, has repeatedly signed extensions and executive orders to allow TikTok to remain active while negotiations continue. His administration is still pressing for a deal that would see TikTok transferred into American ownership without disrupting its hundreds of millions of U.S. users.
The move underscores Trump’s pragmatic approach: countering China’s influence while avoiding the political fallout of abruptly banning an app that dominates youth culture and online discourse.
🌍 Strategic Context
The TikTok saga highlights the broader U.S.–China tech rivalry. Washington fears Beijing could exploit TikTok’s vast data pool for espionage or propaganda, while Trump is trying to strike a balance between national security, free speech, and global economic leverage.
